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Handbook

Paysanne: thin flat pieces

A rustic cut for quick soups: 1–1.5 cm squares, triangles or rounds, 1–3 mm thick.

Paysanne (French for peasant-style) means thin flat pieces 1–1.5 cm across and 1–3 mm thick. The shape follows the vegetable: squares from a stick, triangles from a stick halved diagonally, rounds or half-rounds from slim vegetables. What matters is the same thickness: it sets the cooking time.

Paysanne: a 1–1.5 cm stick sliced thinly, 1–3 mm, into squares, triangles or rounds1–1.5 cm1–1.5 cm1–3 mmsquare · triangleround
A stick 1–1.5 cm across is sliced thinly; the piece is a square, a triangle or a round.
What and what for
  • Carrots, turnips, celery root, leeks, cabbage, potatoes, zucchini.
  • Quick vegetable soups such as minestrone or the French potage paysanne: thin pieces are done in 10–15 minutes.
  • Steamed and sautéed vegetables when everything must be ready at once.
Step by step
  • Cut the vegetable into sticks with a square 1–1.5 cm cross-section — as for medium dice, but stop there.
  • For triangles, cut the stick lengthwise along the diagonal of its cross-section into two triangular prisms.
  • Slice the stick crosswise into thin 1–3 mm slices.
  • Slim round vegetables (carrots, leeks) need no squaring: rounds or half-rounds of the same thickness are paysanne too.
Thin slices put your fingers close to the blade: hold the stick with a claw and do not rush. The thinner the cut, the slower you go.